The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index

Almost a million young people are struggling to find a job across the UK

Forty per cent of jobless young people have faced symptoms of mental illness as a result of being out of work

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I was unemployed for nearly three years. Being out of work stripped away my self-worth and I became severely depressed.

– Afsana

I was unemployed for nearly three years before I came to The Prince’s Trust for help.

In that time, I became severely depressed and attempted suicide twice.

Being out of work stripped away my self-worth and made me feel like a waste of space.

After three years of unemployment, I had lost all confidence in myself. It felt like all of my hopes for the future had been sucked away.

Luckily, hope came in the shape of The Prince’s Trust. With help from the charity, I learnt to trust other people and started to believe in myself again.

The Trust also gave me the confidence to realise my dream – studying medicine. I’m going to be a doctor.

It’s a very different story to what it might have been. Hand on heart, I don’t think I would be here today if it wasn’t for The Prince’s Trust.

– Afsana

One in three long-term unemployed young people have contemplated suicide

More than a quarter have experienced panic attacks

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Being out of work knocked my confidence and made me feel like a failure. I went into self-critical mode and even had suicidal thoughts.

– Steve

I was unemployed for eight years, and suffered from depression and anxiety on a daily basis.

Being out of work knocked my confidence and made me feel like a failure. I felt I had nothing to offer, so I couldn’t see why anyone would ever want to employ me.

The longer I was unemployed, the worse I felt about myself.

Things got so bad that I rarely left the house. I was sitting at home all day thinking, which is a really bad idea when you’re depressed. I went into self-critical mode and I even had suicidal thoughts.

I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t got in touch with The Prince’s Trust.

I joined the charity’s Team programme, and it boosted my confidence straight away. I was meeting new people and learning new things every day, which helped me to feel more positive.

Getting back to work wasn’t easy, but I now have a great job helping other young people facing unemployment.

I am really proud of the fact that I’m helping others, and having a job has given me back my sense of self-worth.

I really feel like I’m living my dream.

– Steve

More than three quarters of a million young people believe they have nothing to live for

Long-term unemployed young people are more than twice as likely to feel this way

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Being out of work made me feel worthless...like there was something wrong with me. I was having panic attacks on a daily basis.

– Emma

I struggled with mental health issues before, but being unemployed made things 10 times worse.

My confidence and self-esteem spiralled downwards, and I spent days at home feeling hopeless and isolated.

The hardest thing is seeing other people get on with their lives and do the things you wish you could be doing. Seeing friends talk about their jobs and social lives on Facebook made me feel like there was something wrong with me.

I was stuck in a rut and desperate to get out of it, but I didn’t know how. Luckily, I decided to turn to The Prince’s Trust for help.

I’d always been interested in art and design, so the charity helped me to set up my own design business.

Having something to focus on made such a difference, and with support from The Prince’s Trust, my confidence came on in leaps and bounds.

I had goals to work towards – like writing my business plan – and I felt excited about the future for the first time in ages.

I started my company, Brave and the Bold Apparel, in January 2013, and I’m enjoying running my own business.

Succeeding in business has had a ripple effect in all areas of my life, and I’m now happier than I’ve ever been.

– Emma

Prince's Trust

Macquarie

In response to these findings, The Prince's Trust is increasing support for the UK's most vulnerable young people